Extraordinary large scale map of California and Nevada issued by the General Land Office showing the latest surveys of the states.

The maps issued by the General Land Office were usually functional documents used for legal and bureaucratic purposes such as allocating land to homesteaders, the sale of property and the settlement of legal disputes. They were also used to indicate the extent of geographical knowledge of the United States.

This specific map of California is unusual in the collection; it is one of the larger examples to be dedicated to one state. It also shows the mineral deposits and natural resources, a very relevant piece of information for the State, particularly in the case of gold. As an aside but related, one of the most amazing locations for the time on the map is the “Remarkable Oil Spring in the Sea” shown just south of Port St. Luis in southern California. Another feature is the text panel on the lower left. This contains a list of the Spanish-Mexican land grants surveyed and present in the State. This is an invaluable historical record of the early settlement of California.

As well as the land grants and the natural resources, the map also shows the latest surveys of land surveyed by the department, particularly east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Finally, this particular example of the map is unusual in that it has been coloured and backed on linen. Usually General Land Office maps, due to their status as government documents, were left black and white and were printed on thin, inexpensive paper. The special treatment accorded to this example suggests it may have had some promotional function; possible as a show piece for a retailer of the maps or possibly as part of the collection of an ambassadorial library abroad which could be used to encourage immigration into the United States.
Original colour. Laid on linen. [USA9800]